Title of presentation
Redefining
engagement;
Students
Name
of presenter
as partners, shapers & leaders of a 21st century
Title of presenter
student
experience
School / Faculty / Division
Ngaere
Blair,
Director, Student Enrichment
xx Month
201x
La Trobe University
HE Academy Conference, 04 July 2013
latrobe.edu.au
CRICOS Provider 00115M
About La Trobe University
•
Established in 1967 as a progressive alternative to established institutions.
•
Strong ethos on social justice, access and equity and regional community.
engagement.
•
Multi-campus, with main campus in the northern suburbs of Melbourne and smaller
campuses spread across regional Victoria (largest regional provider in the state).
•
Over 33,000 students enrolled with 19,000 at main campus in Melbourne and
between 200- 4,000 at regional campuses.
•
Over 17% of students are from low socio-economic backgrounds. 46% are first in
their families to attend higher education.
•
Nearly 5,000 international students, mainly drawn from India, China, South America,
UK and USA.
La Trobe University
2
La Trobe University
3
Mildura campus, 200 students
Wodonga campus, 800 students
Shepparton campus, 200 students
Bendigo campus, 4,000 students
Main campus, 19,000 students
La Trobe University
4
A changing sector
Review of Australian Higher Education in 2008;
•
Increase enrolments of low socio-economic students to 40% by 2020 (currently
15%).
•
Increase all enrolments by 30% by 2020.
•
Remove caps on places and increase competition between Unis.
•
Make explicit that student satisfaction and student experience will be used as
quality indicators and data will be publicly available.
•
Re-introduction of ‘student amenities’ fees allowing student unions to rebuild.
But then....
•
Demand from international students has declined (high $AU).
•
In May 2013, Govt announced funding cuts of over $2Bil.
•
Current Govt likely to lose September election.
•
MOOCS!
La Trobe University
5
A 21st century student experience
It can be argued....
•
The role Universities play in the lives of their students is changing.
•
University is just one of a portfolio of commitments.
•
Students have constant access to information, ideas and opinions.
•
A degree no longer sets graduates apart.
•
Students, parents and employers question the relevance, value and quality of higher
education.
In a 21st century student experience ‘do we have students, or are they customers,
stakeholders, constituents, or (indeed) products?’
(Birnbaum, 1998)
La Trobe University
6
How should we view our students?
As Customers?
•
Does this mean we are expected to ‘pander’ to student satisfaction? (Winter and O’Donohue,
2012; Mark, 2013).
However...
•
‘Customers are no longer viewed as passive recipients, but as active participants in
service delivery and co-producers of the services they receive’ (Mark, 2013).
Co-producers/Co-creators?
•
Digital knowledge; students can now source and shape content, collaborate, and
provide and expect instant feedback (Sternberg, 2012; Gregory et al, 2010).
•
‘The key to dealing with students evolving learning styles, considerable, but
inconsistent, technological expertise and increasing diversity [is in] a renegotiation
of the student/teacher relationship in which both parties are recognised as ‘cocreators’ of knowledge’. (Sternberg, 2012)
La Trobe University
7
How should we view our students?
As Partners?
•
Students are often the best change agents with the most knowledge to offer on
what effective learning experiences look like.
•
'Engaging students as partners in change also means tolerance for multiple
perspectives, different talents, and diversity. [We] cannot be certain of what specific
talents, knowledge, and skills will be of value, and globalization has expanded the
market' (Zhao, 2011).
All of the above?
•
Student inhabit each of these roles- and others- at some point and to varied extents
(Sharrock, 2013).
•
Partnerships, collaborations and customer relationships are all invested with heavy
expectations, unrealistic demands and disappointments, but they can also be
mutually beneficial, rewarding, dynamic, and constructive when given the
opportunity.
La Trobe University
8
What makes a good student experience?
•Quality courses, engaging teaching and career pathways.
•Interaction with teaching staff and discussion on course and career choice.
•Flexible learning spaces, library and IT support.
•An accessible and sophisticated online learning environment.
•Responsive administrative and student support services.
•Being treated as an individual and valued as a student.
•Physical places and facilities that allow informal socialisation.
•Social and peer support and the opportunity to build learning communities.
•Access to extra-curricular activities such as clubs and societies.
•A welcoming and inclusive environment.
•Engaging with difference and diversity.
•Challenging and relevant academic experiences.
(Kuh, 2005; Coates, 2009; Tinto, 1987, Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005)
La Trobe University
9
Why does the student experience matter to Universities?
•
Integral to high quality teaching and learning
•
Widening participation; more students coming with varied backgrounds and
preparedness, but those who feel supported will thrive
•
Public policy; in a demand-driven system, students have more choice and are
encouraged to ‘shop around’
•
International student market becoming more competitive (plus high $AU)
•
Students talk… social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest,
StalkerSpace….these can be powerful aids or hindrances to our reputation
•
Quality Assurance ‘places a renewed emphasis on student outcomes and the
quality of the student experience’.
•
Universities have a role to play in the education of knowledgeable, adept, and
well rounded future leaders who will be faced with growing social, cultural,
environmental and economic challenges
La Trobe University
10
Measuring the student experience
Institutional tools
National benchmarking tools
•Retention Rates.
•Australasian Universities Survey of Student
Engagement.
•Participation Rates.
•Exit Interviews.
•University Experience Survey.
•Student Services Satisfaction.
•First Year in Higher Education Survey.
•Completion Rates.
•TEQSA reporting (QA).
•Alumni Surveys.
•Communication Channels/Feedback.
•Australian Graduate Survey (Employment
Outcomes & Course Experience).
•Student Cohort profiles (e.g., age, residency,
SES, ATAR, equity).
•Beyond Graduation Survey.
•Focus groups.
•Market research.
‘It’s your data. You have an inherent right to it.
It should be used first to help you in your learning
journey.’
(Milliron, 2012)
La Trobe University
11
The project (a work in progress)
Aim:
To engage students as partners in determining how the University values and
prioritises the La Trobe student experience.
Process:
1. Identify a methodology that groups student experience concepts by a theme that
is logical, underpinned by student engagement theory, and for which we are likely
to have evidence.
2. Consultation with students to identify what aspects of the student experience
most matters to them.
3. Review existing data sources that provide evidence of student’s outcomes,
participation, satisfaction and engagement within those themes.
4. Develop a ‘dashboard’ that demonstrates how the University performs against the
identified indicators.
5. Engage students in further consultation on how to improve on low performing
areas through a series of student experience ‘summits’
La Trobe University
12
Framing the student experience
Lizzio’s ‘5 Senses’ Model (2006)
Sense of Connectedness
Sense of Capability
•Institutional identification
•Community participation
•Student-Staff relationships
•Task and role clarity
•Student-Student relationships
•Academic competence
Sense of
Culture
•Clear values
La Trobe University
Sense of Resourcefulness
Sense of Purpose
•University-life interface
•Disciplinary engagement
•Physical environment
•Vocational direction
•Systems access and navigation
•Personal development
13
Engaging students as partners
La Trobe University
14
La Trobe University
15
Reporting on results
Lizzio theme: Vocational Direction/Sense of Purpose
Acquiring job related or work related skills or knowledge (AUSSE 2011)
90%
80%
70%
60%
Very little/some
50%
Quite a bit/Very much
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
LTU Students
La Trobe University
LTU Staff
Benchmark
16
Framing the student experience
Lizzio’s ‘5 Senses’ Model (2006)
Sense of Connectedness
Sense of Capability
•Institutional identification
•Community participation
•Student-Staff relationships
•Task and role clarity
•Student-Student relationships
•Academic competence
Sense of
Culture
•Clear values
La Trobe University
Sense of Resourcefulness
Sense of Purpose
•University-life interface
•Disciplinary engagement
•Physical environment
•Vocational direction
•Systems access and navigation
•Personal development
17
What is important to students?
Feeling challenged & engaged
Fitting in and making friends
La Trobe University
18
What is important to students?
Access to study resources
La Trobe University
Cheap car parking
19
What is important to students?
Cheap car parking
Access to study resourcesAccomplishing
goals
La Trobe University
20
Thank you
Ngaere Blair
Director, Student Enrichment
La Trobe University
AUSTRALIA
E: n.blair@latrobe.edu.au
T: + 61 3 9479 3425
latrobe.edu.au
CRICOS Provider 00115M
References
Birnbaum, R. (1998), How colleges work; the cybernetics of academic organization and leadership. Jossey Bass, San Francisco, (pp.225-226)
Coates, H., Radloff, A., James, R., Krause, K. (2011). Report on the Development of the University Experience Survey. Canberra, Australia:
Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved from: www.deewr.gov.au/HigherEducation/Policy/Pages/UniversityExperienceSurvey.aspx
de Lourdes Machado, M., Brites, R., Magalhães, A. and Sá, M. J. (2011). Satisfaction with higher education: critical data for student development.
European Journal of Education, 46(3), 415-432.
Gregory, S., Gregory, B., Campbell, M., Farley, H., Sinnappan, S., Kennedy-Clark, S., Craven, D., Murdoch, D., Lee M.J.W., Wood, D., Grenfell, J., Thomas,
A., Smith, K., Warren, I., Dreber, H., McKeown, L., Ellis, A., Hillier, M., Pace, S., Cram, A., Hay, L., Grant, S., Matthews, C. (2010). Australian higher
education institutions transforming the future of teaching and learning through 3D virtual worlds. Paper presented at proceedings ascilite Sydney
2010. Retrieved from http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/sydney10/procs/Gregory-full.pdf
Kuh, G., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J. H., Whitt, E. (2005). Assessing conditions to enhance educational effectiveness; the inventory for student engagement and
success. San Francisco, America: Jossey-Bass.
Lizzio, A. (2006). Designing an orientation and transition strategy for commencing students, Griffith University First Year Experience Project
Mark, E. (2013): Student satisfaction and the customer focus in higher education. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 35:1, 2-10
Milliron, D., (2012). An open to letter to students; you are the game changer in next-generation learning. EDUCAUSE Review,47(4) . Retrieved from:
www.educause.edu/ero/article/open-letter-students-youre-game-changer-next-generation-learning
Sternberg J. (2012): ‘It's the end of the university as we know it (and I feel fine)’: the Generation Y student in higher education discourse. Higher
Education Research & Development, 31:4, pp.571-583
Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
Winter, R.P., O’Donohue, W. (2012). Academic identity tensions in the public university; which values really matter? Journal of Higher Education Policy
and Management, 34(6), pp. 565-573
Zhao, Y. (2011). Students as change partners: A proposal for educational change in the age of globalisation. Journal of Educational Change, 12,
pp.267–279